Tinnitus is a frequent symptom of traumatic brain injury, which is difficult to
treat. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has shown beneficial effects
in some forms of tinnitus. However, traumatic brain injury in the past has been
considered as a relative contraindication for repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation because of the increased risk of seizures. Here we present the case
of a 53-year-old male patient suffering from severe tinnitus after traumatic
brain injury with comorbid depression and alcohol abuse, who received 5 treatment
series of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (1 Hz stimulation protocol
over left primary auditory cortex, 10 sessions of 2000 stimuli each, stimulation
intensity 110% resting motor threshold). Repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation was tolerated without any side effects and tinnitus complaints
(measured by a validated tinnitus questionnaire and numeric rating scales) were
improved in a replicable way throughout 5 courses of transcranial magnetic
stimulation up to now.